Doubts

Do we all have days when we get out of bed and think I just can't do this? I have had that twice this week; why? Last week I was brimming with confidence; in both my writing and in myself. Yet now I am sat here, tired and irritated because I do not know why I feel this way.

I have been working on my collection of short stories, which was going really well. I wrote 4 short stories in around 7-8 days and have never felt better. However that has come to a stop; I have ideas for the stories, and 3 stories already started but I do not have the attention to detail to finish them. Why? Is it because I am doubting myself? I don't know but I do know that things have to change.

I have tried to put my lack of writing down to writers block, but it can't be that because I do have the ideas and I can sit and write. It's like something inside me saying I can't do it.

I want to write 4 more stories for my collection and as soon as they have been proofed and edited, I want to think about publishing on the Kindle. There has to be something I can do to pick myself up out of this pit of self-doubt so I can get back to that stage where I was enjoying my writing more than anything.

Novel writing

Over the last week I feel like I have done really well; I have written four short stories-two of which are totally finished and the other two just need a couple of paragraphs adding to make the story complete. I will be sending one off to a magazine and the other three are for my short story collection I am hoping to have published on the Kindle.

Another thing I ave also been looking into is starting a novel. No matter how much writing I do, all I can think of is writing a novel; to fulfill my dream. It is like I need to write a novel for myself, to prove that I can have my dream.
Even if I just dedicate a few hours a week to writing my novel, I think it will subside my need to do it. I am really enjoying writing short stories and I think it will be quite difficult to get out of that frame of mind; in order to write a novel.

I have been working on a few ideas and I have discovered I really have no confidence in myself. When it comes to short stories, I know that my ideas are strong enough to fill those 3000 words I intend to write, but when it comes to writing a 100,000 work novel I am afraid that my idea will not be strong enough to survive this much writing.

I know I have to take the plunge and the story might take a twist of it's own, without me even having planned it. I am hoping that is what will happen anyway, because 100,000 seems a lot to write about one idea. Although I have been reading a lot more and books do not necessarily focus around one single idea, they go off on tangents that are linked to the story but give another thing to think about. So maybe my story will stand on its own legs, and make it into the big wide world.

Only time will tell, so I guess I best get writing...

The power of a friend

Isn't it amazing how good a friend can make you feel? How they can spur you on to do something you never thought possible.

Over the past week or so I have written two short stories, am halfway through another and have a few notes for a final story. All because I had a bit of extra encouragement that wasn't there before.
It's strange that once you have someones approval, you crave it more and more.

I don't know about other people but having a friend, who can tell me honestly what they think of my writing and what needs fixing makes me want to write more, to impress them.

Reading

I love reading. It relaxes me, takes me to a different world, takes all my worries away. So why have I neglected my reading so much for the last few months?

I have realised that to become a successful writer I need to be an avid reader. I need to read different types of books and read them like a writer, take in the grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary.

Last night I read a few short stories and without realising they have helped me significantly with my writing today. I have used sentences I never thought would work and words that I never knew existed.

It just shows that if you read properly, you really can enjoy it, and use it to your advantage in your own writing.
And who knew you could use snippets of a story idea to make your own unique, never seen before manuscript.

If anyone has any book suggestions that will help me not only to get back into my reading but to aid my writing I would love to hear them.

Having support

Support...I don't mean the kind of support you get from an over-priced 'good bra'. I mean the kind of support you get from people, and not just holding you up when you have had a few too many. Does having support from others, be it a family member, a friend or a fellow writer, encourage your writing?

In the last week I have been down in the dumps, seriously. I told my husband I was canceling my application to become self-employed, I told him I was throwing out all of my books and that I wasn't even going to finish my course with the writers bureau. Yes, that's how bad it was.

Then my husband looked at me an said "I believe in you. I know you can do it and I know you will do it. It's just a matter of time and I will support you, no matter how long it takes."

Are those the magic words? Does having the support of someone else make the hard times of writers block worth it? Do those words make you believe you can do it?

It worked for me, I am sat here now after having a total clear out of all my work documents. I have been filing and tidying all day, even came across an idea for a novel I had over 2 years ago. So I guess it just goes to show what you can achieve and are willing to work on when you know someone else believe in you.

Writing Style

It's something that comes naturally, apparently. I seem to have to work hard for my writing to make any sense, or even stick to any kind of story line. I am happy about this though, as I know that everything I write has had hard work go into it.

However I seem to have a 'trend' in my writing. I write very deep and emotional stories, which is great, but not really appropriate for the womag market I want to target. It needs to be a bit slushier I guess.

I think I need to work on my ideas, I seem to have a very deep mind and thought process, making my stories over emotional, where-as I need light, fluffy love stories. Perhaps I shoud look at some other mazgazine from the past and take a few story lines, mix them together and come up with my own?

Re-use, recycle, re-name

Ever sat there thinking about what to write? Why you don't have a new story idea?

I just sat on my sofa, laptop in front of me, struggling to think of a new story idea. Then it occurred to me; I have a million (OK, slight exaggeration) short stories, short story ideas hanging around either unfinished or rejected. Why has it never occurred to me to make one of these stories fit a market?

I could use on of my rejected stories, re-name it, edit it to fit to another magazines guidelines and then send it off. I could use one of my story ideas and expand on it to fit to a magazine.

Why start from scratch with every story? It doesn't make sense.

From now on I am going to put my unfinished and rejected stories to good use, rather than letting them gather cyber-dust.